I have just started reading Jaswant Singh's Jinnah biography - Jinnah India Partition Independence. The book caused a fair amount of controversy when it was published, especially in Indian. Jaswant Singh who was the Foreign Minister in the Vajpayee Government was expelled from the BJP (Right-wing Hindu nationalist party) for his positive portrayal of Jinnah and blaming Congress Party and Nehru in particular for the partition of the subcontinent.The books is written in a scholarly style and can be a little drag if you are not used to such heavy reading. I will blog about the book as I read it, since I think it gives a great view point into the genesis for the idea of Pakistan. Never mind the fact that the present state of Pakistan is not the one that Jinnah had dreamed about.
The author initially traces the history of Islam in India. He makes no bones about the fact that Islam came to the subcontinent with the sword, but is quick to point out that Muslim civilizations have been not any different to any other invading civilizations.
I will write more about the book as I continue reading it.
